Pappu Thotakura

Ingredients:

3/4 cup tur dal (kandi pappu) pressure cook until soft and mash lightly

2 cups tightly packed thotakura leaves (not the stalks)

1 onion finely chopped

4 green chillis slit length wise

1″ ginger, finely chopped

1/4 tsp turmeric pwd

For tempering/poppu/tadka:

1 tbsp oil

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

3-4 dried red chillis (tear into pieces)

5-6 garlic flakes crushed

10-12 curry leaves

1 Heat oil in a heavy bottomed vessel, add mustard seeds, let them pop, add the cumin seeds, garlic, red chillis, curry leaves and saute for a mt. Add the chopped onions, green chillis and ginger and sauté till onions turn slightly pink.
2 Add the thotakura and stir fry for 4 mts. Add the turmeric pwd and salt and combine. Cover with lid and cook till the greens cook (approx 7-8 mts). Using the back of the ladle, mash the contents slightly.
3 Add the cooked and mashed dal to the onion-thotakura mixture. Add salt and 3/4 cup of water and cook for another 8-10 mts on low-medium heat.
4 Serve with white rice or hot rotis.

Note:

Alternately, you can separately pressure cook the onions, greens, garlic and green chillis and combine with the mashed dal and follow the rest of the procedure.